RULES AND REGULATIONS

No person shall injure, deface, disturb, befoul nor in any manner destroy or cause to be destroyed any part of any park or parkway or any facility building, sign, structure, equipment, utility or other property found therein. No person shall dig for, remove, injure or destroy any tree, flower, shrub, plant or growing thing, or any rock, mineral, artifact or other material within the boundaries of any park. No person shall kill, trap, hunt, pursue or in any manner disturb or cause to be disturbed any wild bird or animal within the boundaries of any park, without written permission of the Metroparks.

Cooking fires may be built only in picnic grills/stoves or in other equipment or space approved by the Metroparks, except ground fires at camp areas and only in such areas or parks so designated by the Metroparks; no person shall start or cause to be started any other fire whatsoever in any park or parkway. Only place ash/coals in a barrel labeled “Hot Coals” and NOT on the ground, in trash cans or elsewhere.

Only beer and wine may be consumed in picnic areas or areas designated by the Metroparks. Alcoholic beverages may be permitted in accordance with Rules & Regulations of the Michigan Liquor Control Commission and only in areas designated by the Metroparks. No person shall possess any alcoholic beverages in any park or park area during times when notice is posted of such closure.

Swimming, bathing and wading are permitted only in those areas provided for that purpose and so posted by the Metroparks.

Dogs and other pets are permitted in parks only when kept on a leash not over six feet in length and kept under the immediate control of a responsible person. They are not permitted in nature and farm areas, golf courses, playgrounds, beaches, or in buildings. The owner will assume full responsibility for all pets. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are permitted in all areas. No person shall ride or lead any horse within the boundaries of any park, except in areas designated by the Metroparks and in possession of a Metroparks bridle tag.

No person shall possess or control any bow and arrow, slingshot, pellet gun, air rifle, fireworks, explosives, or other dangerous substances within the boundaries of any park, without written permission of the Metroparks; provided, that this rule shall not apply to any law enforcement officer who has been duly appointed by the government of the United States, the State of Michigan or any county, municipality or other political subdivision of the State of Michigan.

No person or organization other than the Metroparks, its hires and licensees shall, while on lands of the Metroparks, advertise, offer for hire, vend or sell any service, food, beverage, merchandise or other personal property or advertise, carry on or conduct any other business or commercial activity, nor shall any person or organization beg or solicit contributions or donations while on lands of the Metroparks.

Handbills, newspapers or other circulars may be offered or distributed only by passing them hand-to-hand; such distribution will be allowed only in automobile parking lots, unless other areas for such distribution are designated by the Metroparks. No person shall post, fasten, paint or affix any placard, bill, notice or sign upon any structure, tree or automobile within any park or parkway, except that temporary directional signs for group picnics or events may be placed on signposts designated for such purposes by the Metroparks or areas as designated by the Metroparks and must be removed at the conclusion of the event.

The maximum speed limit for all vehicles shall be 35 miles an hour, except where otherwise posted. Motor vehicles will be driven only on designated park roads and parked only in designated parking spaces.

No person shall operate off-the-road, within the boundaries of any park, any motor-driven vehicle, including, by way of example but not by way of limitation, any minibike, motorcycle, dune mobile, snowmobile, converted snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle, amphibious vehicle, Segway, Hoverboard or similar motorized device. This does not apply to clearly labeled Class 1 or Class 2 e-bikes on paved hike-bike trails or Class 1 e-bikes on designated mountain bike trails (see #31).

No person shall deposit or abandon in any park or parkway or in the waters on or adjacent to any park or on the ice thereof any garbage, sewage, refuse, trash, waste or other obnoxious material, except in receptacles or pits provided for such purposes.

Camping is restricted to special areas and times or organized youth groups who have obtained written permission in advance of the camping period and who have paid the camping fee designated by the Metroparks. Camping is permitted only in those areas designated for that purpose by the Metroparks. Tents or shelters are not permitted in picnic areas without permission from the Metroparks.

Any park or parkway, or portion thereof, may be closed entirely or closed to certain uses (including the use or possession of alcoholic beverages) for such period of time as may be determined by the Director of the Metroparks or their representative. During such periods of time no person shall enter upon or occupy any such park or portion thereof contrary to posted regulations.

Picnicking is permitted only in designated picnic areas. Picnic groups of 50 persons or more are requested to register with the park office; such registration, however, does not ensure the registering group of exclusive use of a picnic area. Roping-off or fencing of park areas will not be permitted without permission from the Metroparks. Shelters are available and may be reserved for a fee.

No field day, carnival, concert, rally, dramatic presentation or the like at which more than 50 persons are in attendance or can reasonably be expected to be in attendance (hereafter called “Large Group Events”) shall be held or conducted on lands of the Metroparks unless a permit for such event has first been granted by the Metroparks. Permits for Large Group Events must be obtained no later than four (4) weeks prior to the event. Requirements for obtaining permits are available at the park office, and are subject to both individual park and local township review and approval.

No person shall operate or play any musical instrument, radio, loudspeaker, public address system or sound amplifying equipment of any kind within the boundaries of any park in such a manner as to cause the sound emanating therefrom to exceed a loudness of 75 decibels when measured on the 70 dB scale at a distance of 15 feet from the sound source without a written permit issued by the Metroparks. Metroparks reserves the right to ban amplified equipment in designated areas of the parks.

All parks under the jurisdiction of the Metroparks shall be open from daylight to 10 pm unless otherwise posted. No person shall be allowed on park grounds after posted hours without written permission from the Metroparks and may be subject to ticketing or other actions.

Nature trails and foot trails shall be used for walking traffic during daylight hours only. Picnicking and fires are prohibited in or on any nature trail, foot trail, or nature study area. Bicycles (including e-bikes), horses, pets, by way of examples are prohibited but are not all-inclusive. Use of an off-road vehicle is prohibited (see #10.)

Whenever a usable and designated path has been provided near a roadway, cyclists, hikers, joggers, runners, and in-line skaters are encouraged to use that path and not use the roadway. However, the speed limit on the hike-bike trails is not to exceed 10 miles per hour (including for Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes), so cyclists riding at faster speeds shall use the roadway. Bicyclists shall yield the right of way to pedestrians and shall give an audible signal before overtaking and passing a pedestrian. Users of hike-bike trails shall obey all other posted regulations. The use of protective equipment is encouraged on all Metropark trails.

Watercraft operators must comply with federal and state marine safety regulations, local watercraft ordinances and Metroparks rules. All trailered watercraft are required to pay the Metropark boat fee. A personal floatation device (PFD) is required for every passenger in a vessel. Michigan law requires that children under 6 years of age must wear an approved PFD when riding on the open deck of any vessel. No person shall operate a motorboat at a speed in excess of 10 statute miles per hour, except an authorized patrol boat or emergency rescue craft. No person shall operate any watercraft so as to tow, or otherwise assist in the propulsion of, a person on water skis, water sled, surfboard, or other similar contrivance, or permit himself to be so towed. Rubber rafts and all floating devices other than boats may be used only in swim areas or special designated areas. Violation of this rule is subject to ticketing or other actions.

All motor vehicles must obtain and have affixed to the vehicle, a valid Metropark motor vehicle permit. This permit must be completely affixed with its own adhesive to the lower left hand corner of the windshield (taping to windshield is prohibited), except for motorcycles. Violation of this rule is subject to ticketing or other actions.

The Metroparks recognizes and respects the rights of citizens engaging in free speech. Some kinds of speech such as obscenity, defamation and fighting words are not protected by the First Amendment and are prohibited to the extent governed by law. Further, no person or groups shall interfere with other people’s free speech rights. The Metroparks will cooperate with those engaging in protected free speech to resolve any conflict between a person’s or group’s protected free speech rights and any regulation of those rights. For a copy of the Metroparks full “Free Speech Guidelines,” please contact the Administrative Office at 810-227-2757 or visit www.metroparks.com.

Horses must remain on established, designated trails only. Horses may not be ridden on park roads or through picnic or nature center areas, or any other area so posted. The cleaning of horse trailers is not permitted on park property. Each rider must obtain a Horse Riding Permit/Bridle Tag available at the park office. Violation of this rule is subject to ticketing or other actions.

Launching, landing, or operating manned aircraft (e.g. hot air balloons, helicopter, seaplane, etc.) or sky lanterns from or on the lands and waters administrated by the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority is prohibited except in the case of an emergency or as approved in writing by the Director or designee. Violation of this rule is subject to ticketing or other actions.

Metropark staff will designate the usage of all facilities within the property of the Metroparks.

Other activities not provided for specifically in these rules may be subject to posted regulations by the Metroparks or included in established general, firearms, and watercraft ordinances, adopted by the local townships. Violation of this rule is subject to ticketing or other actions.

Inflatables, including bounce houses, are permitted in the Metroparks only when the following criteria is met:
a. Prior approval from the Metroparks.
b. Provide a certificate of insurance naming HCMA as an additional insured.

The launching, landing, or operating of unmanned aircraft (e.g. radio controlled airplanes, drones, etc.) shall be permitted in the Metroparks in accordance with federal and state laws, with the following location restrictions. Nothing in this provision shall pre-empt Federal Public Law 112-95, Section 336-Special Rule for Model Aircraft, Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulation (14 CFR) Part 107, and State of Michigan Public Act 436 of 2016.

1. Unmanned aircraft shall not be flown over bathhouses located at any beach or aquatic facilities.
2. Endangered Species. Unmanned aircraft shall not to be used in any area of the parks in violation of state and federal endangered species act and other protective laws for species such as bald eagles which are protected year-round from unnecessary harassment per the Bald and Golden Eagle act.
3. When flown within 5 miles of an airport, the operator of the aircraft provides the airport operator and the airport air traffic control tower (when an air traffic facility is located at the airport) with prior notice of the operation.

The property of the Metroparks constitutes “public property” under Initiated Law 2018-01. No person may smoke, consume, cultivate, distribute, process, sell, or display marihuana accessories within the boundaries of any park. No person may distribute, sell, or display marihuana accessories within the boundaries of any park.

A person who violates Rule 29 would be subject removal from the boundaries of the parks and could possibly be criminally and civilly liable for trespass. However, any trespass action for a violation of Rule 29 should be enforced in the same manner as a violation of any of the other rules.

The Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority occasionally takes pictures of groups and individuals visiting our parks and participating in activities at our parks to be used for informational, educational and promotional purposes.  By entering the parks or participating in events at our parks, you consent to have your image captured either photographically or digitally and to have such images used in news releases, educational materials or promotional materials, which may include publication of your image in printed or electronic communications or websites.

For understanding, the following definitions, derived from the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association, will be used to differentiate the classifications of e-bikes:

1) A “Class 1 electric bicycle” is a bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to assist when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour.

2) A “Class 2 electric bicycle” is a bicycle equipped with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle, and that ceases to assist when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour.

3) A “Class 3 electric bicycle” is a bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to assist when the bicycle reaches the speed of 28 miles per hour and is equipped with a speedometer.

Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are allowed on paved hike-bike trails within the Metroparks. Class 1 e-bikes are allowed on Authority-designated mountain bike trails within the Metroparks. E-bikes must be clearly labeled with their appropriate classifications. They will be subject to the same speed limits as non-motorized bicycles and are not to exceed 10 miles per hour (see #19).